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Haunting Women
This anthology contains:
The Renegade by Shirley Jackson
The Villa Désirée by May Sinclair
The House of the Famous Poet by Muriel Spark
Loopy by Ruth Rendell
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Foghorn by Gertrude Atherton
The Ghost by Mrs. Henry Wood
Simon's Wife by Tanith Lee
Hell on Both Sides of the Gate by Rosemary Timperley
The Shadowy Third by Ellen Glasgow
The Sound of the River by Jean Rhys
Robbie by Mary Danby
Heartburn by Hortense Calisher
The Cloak by Isak Dinesen
The Renegade by Shirley Jackson
The Villa Désirée by May Sinclair
The House of the Famous Poet by Muriel Spark
Loopy by Ruth Rendell
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Foghorn by Gertrude Atherton
The Ghost by Mrs. Henry Wood
Simon's Wife by Tanith Lee
Hell on Both Sides of the Gate by Rosemary Timperley
The Shadowy Third by Ellen Glasgow
The Sound of the River by Jean Rhys
Robbie by Mary Danby
Heartburn by Hortense Calisher
The Cloak by Isak Dinesen
210 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 1988
About the author
Alan Ryan
93 books44 followersAlan Peter Ryan was an American author and editor, known for his work in the horror genre in the 1980s.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 3, 2017
First of all, my edition's title is Haunting Women: Chilling Stories of Horror by Fourteen Acclaimed Women Writers, not "Stories of Fear and Fantasy."
There are fourteen stories in this book, and while most are definitely "chilling," here it's also all about the writing.
The editor's introduction, which gives nothing away as far as content is well worth reading before launching into the book itself. Here, Ryan posits an interesting question: given the fact that these stories are all written by women, he wonders if these stories are "different from the horror stories written by men." His answer -- yes, "in some ways," they are. How so, one might ask, and his answer would be that for one thing,
"For years in the past ... magazines were filled with 'wife-killer' stories written by men. The other side of the picture is represented here by three stories from earlier in the century, those by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, May Sinclair, and Ellen Glasgow. Rosemary Timperley's story brings a more contemporary view to the subject."
His observation is spot on -- May Sinclair's "The Villa Desirée," for example, written in 1926, is the story of a young woman who has become engaged to a man who is, on the outside anyway, absolutely perfect and just too damn good to be true. But we know better and eventually so does the heroine of this story, just in the nick of time.
Another thing Ryan notes is that
"... many of these stories reflect a very strong concern for the sanctity of the home and the safety of children,"
again, spot on. Take Shirley Jackson's entry here, "The Renegade," which may not be as horrific as many of her other short stories, but still reflects her recurring themes of isolation and paranoia once a family leaves its safe, familiar environment and as Ryan says, it's the woman here who is "trying to keep her sanity amid swirling domestic horrors."
I will say that by modern standards most of these tales may seem a bit tame, but really, they're anything but. "Chilling" is less the adjective at play here than "disturbing," and that's on a very human level even though there are certainly supernatural overtones involved in many of these stories. This one I highly recommend -- another really good one for wrapping oneself up in a blanket with cup of tea in hand.
more: http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2017...
There are fourteen stories in this book, and while most are definitely "chilling," here it's also all about the writing.
The editor's introduction, which gives nothing away as far as content is well worth reading before launching into the book itself. Here, Ryan posits an interesting question: given the fact that these stories are all written by women, he wonders if these stories are "different from the horror stories written by men." His answer -- yes, "in some ways," they are. How so, one might ask, and his answer would be that for one thing,
"For years in the past ... magazines were filled with 'wife-killer' stories written by men. The other side of the picture is represented here by three stories from earlier in the century, those by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, May Sinclair, and Ellen Glasgow. Rosemary Timperley's story brings a more contemporary view to the subject."
His observation is spot on -- May Sinclair's "The Villa Desirée," for example, written in 1926, is the story of a young woman who has become engaged to a man who is, on the outside anyway, absolutely perfect and just too damn good to be true. But we know better and eventually so does the heroine of this story, just in the nick of time.
Another thing Ryan notes is that
"... many of these stories reflect a very strong concern for the sanctity of the home and the safety of children,"
again, spot on. Take Shirley Jackson's entry here, "The Renegade," which may not be as horrific as many of her other short stories, but still reflects her recurring themes of isolation and paranoia once a family leaves its safe, familiar environment and as Ryan says, it's the woman here who is "trying to keep her sanity amid swirling domestic horrors."
I will say that by modern standards most of these tales may seem a bit tame, but really, they're anything but. "Chilling" is less the adjective at play here than "disturbing," and that's on a very human level even though there are certainly supernatural overtones involved in many of these stories. This one I highly recommend -- another really good one for wrapping oneself up in a blanket with cup of tea in hand.
more: http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2017...
May 18, 2010
Very good book.Some well know authors are present in this work but mostly they were authors that were unknown to me.I am not going to go into each story separately but just say that this was a very enjoyable read that I am sure that I will re-read it in the future.Another good book for my friends who do not like grue and over the top violence.
July 8, 2008
This is my other travel paperback. :) It is very good so far, and I love horror/suspense esp. written by women. I will be looking for some of these authors that I haven't read if they are good.
This one is definitely worth a read. At least 8 of the stories are very good.
This one is definitely worth a read. At least 8 of the stories are very good.
October 27, 2012
Loved this - the stories are creepy and some stunningly horrifying.
December 13, 2013
Out of 14 stories, I really only enjoyed two or three.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews